WILD RICE 



CHARLES E. CHAMBLISS 

Agronomist in Charge of Rice Investigations, 

Office of Cereal Investigations, 

Bureau of riant Industry 




UNITED STATES 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 229 



Washington, D. C. 



Issued August, 1922 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : l»2I 



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THE PRINCIPAL USE of wild rice is as food for 
wild ducks and other waterfowl. Wild rice is 
also used to a limited extent as human food, par- 
ticularly by some of the Indian tribes of the upper 
Mississippi Valley. 

Wild rice grows in shallow lakes and on marshy 
lands bordering tidal rivers above brackish water, 
where the streams are sluggish. Under these" con- 
ditions, where it can anchor itself in a thick layer of 
mud, regardless of the kind of soil, the plant seems 
to make its best growth. 

Because it attracts ducks and other game birds, 
wild rice often is sown on hunting preserves, but 
the results frequently are unsatisfactory because the 
seed does not germinate well. 

To insure good germination the seed must be kept 
moist from the time it is harvested until it is sown 
and must be stored at a low temperature. 

In the vicinity of Washington, D. C, the seed 
should be sown broadcast about the middle of April 
at the rate of a handful of well-matured seed to 
2 square yards of water surface. 



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OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM 

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WILD RICE. 

Charles E. Chambliss, Agronomist in Charge of Rice Investigations, Office of 
Cereal Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Wild rice in nature 3 

Conditions under which wild 

rice grows 3 

Where wild rice grows 4 

Description of the plant 5 

Kinds of wild rice 5 

Growing wild rice 7 

Where to sow 7 

When to sow 8 

How to seed 8 

Transplanting 9 



Page. 

Growing wild rice — Continued. 

Seasonal growth 10 

Propagation 11 

How to harvest 13 

Storage of seed 14 

Shipping seed and plants 15 

Uses of wild rice 15 

Use as food for birds 15 

Use as food for man 16 

Possible forage value 16 

Ornamental value 16 



WILD RICE IN NATURE. 

WILD RICE (Zizania aquatica L.; Z. palustris L.) is a tall 
annual grass, distantly related to the cultivated rice. It is a 
favorite food of ducks, geese, and other game birds and may be suc- 
cessfully grown on or near shooting grounds in many localities 
where it does not now occur if proper attention is given to the condi- 
tions which the plant requires for healthful growth. East of the 
Rocky Mountains many old patches are disappearing which can and 
should be preserved as feeding grounds for wild fowl, particularly 
wild ducks. The purpose of this bulletin is to answer many ques- 
tions that are asked about this aquatic plant and to arouse interest 
in providing means for attracting game birds and supplying them in 
season with one of their favorite foods. 

In the northern part of the United States this plant is known by 
such names as Canadian rice, Indian rice, wild rice, squaw rice, riz 
du Canada, and menomen, while in the South Atlantic States it is 
more commonly called water oats, marsh oats, and wild rice. 

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH WILD RICE GROWS. 

Wild rice is a fresh-water plant and will not grow successfully in 
water that is appreciably salty to the taste. It makes its best growth 
in shallow lakes and on mud flats and low marshland bordering tidal 

3 

105939°— 22 



4 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

rivers above brackish water, where under normal conditions the 
streams are sluggish. 

In the Northern States the growth of the plant often is seriously 
affected when the depth of water in the old patches is increased in 
spring and held at a high level for a long time. When the change of 
water level is more than 2 or 3 feet there usually is no growth of wild 
rice during that season. This does not necessarily mean that the 
patch is destroyed, for as a rule there is a thin stand the following 
spring if water conditions are favorable, the plants being produced 
from seed that apparently have remained dormant for at least 20 
months. 

The daily and regular change of water level which occurs in tidal 
streams does not affect the growth of wild rice injuriously. Large 




Fig. 1. — A typical wild-rice marsh in Virginia. 

patches of this grass cover many acres on the Potomac River flats 
that are often exposed at low tide and submerged at high tnle to a 
depth of approximately 3 feet. The submergence of these flats for 
a long time during early spring, however, may so affect the general 
vigor of the plants as greatly to reduce the production of seed. 

Wild rice grows well on a variety of soils under fresh-water streams 
and lakes, but it seems to make its best growth wherever the plants 
can anchor themselves in a thick layer of mud, regardless of the 
kind of soil. 

WHERE WILD RICE GROWS. 

The natural range of wild rice in North America extends south- 
ward from the northern end of Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico 
and eastward to the Atlantic coast throughout these latitudes. In 
the northern part of this region it grows mainly in shallow lakes and 
sluggish streams, while in the eastern and southern part of the United 
States it thrives above brackish water in low marshes (Fig. 1) bor- 
dering most of the tidal rivers emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. 



Wild Rice. 5 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT. 

The wild-rice plant is an aquatic annual grass having tall, erect, 
cylindrical, and hollow stems which bear long leaves with flat blades 
conspicuously marked by a very thick midrib. The principal roots 
are slender and fibrous and do not penetrate deeply into the soil. 

The stem has a comparatively thin wall and is exceedingly slender. 
It ranges in height from 7 to 11 feet and in diameter from a quarter 
to five-eighths of an inch. In thin sands and among isolated plants a 
single plant may have more than one stem, the additional ones usually 
arising from the base of the main stem, though sometimes as branches 
above this point. 

The first leaves to appear are long and narrow. They float upon the 
surface of the water, but wither and die when the plant is stout 
enough to stand erect. The sheath, or that part of the leaf which 
completely wraps the stem, varies in length from 9 to 25 inches. The 
blade, which is flat and very broad in the plants on the Potomac River, 
may measure from 9 to 48 inches in length. The leaves remain green 
until after the seeds ripen. 

The flower cluster consists of two parts, an upper, having erect 
branches bearing the female or seed-producing flowers, and a lower, 
with droooing branches bearing the male flowers. 

The two protecting glumes, or chaff, of the female flower enclose 
a much-branched stigma and a comparatively small ovary. The outer 
and larger glume bears a long awn or beard. The female flowers 
emerge first and open before the male flowers of the same plant get out 
of the leaf sheath. In this way nature provides for cross-fertilization. 

The envelope of the male flower also consists of two glumes, which 
inclose six bright-yellow stamens that, soon after their release, dis- 
charge their pollen to be carried by the wind to the stigmas of near- 
by plants. 

The seed (Fig. 2) is long and slender and almost cylindrical in 
shape. Its thin brown hull, which adheres tightly to the kernel, bears 
a long, stiff, twisted awn, on which there are numerous barbs or bristly 
hairs pointed upward. The surface of the hull itself has short, stiff 
bristles that point in the same direction. These structures probably 
help to bury the seed in the mud. 

The kernel (Fig. 3) is one-half to three-quarters of an inch in 
length, has a shallow groove extending the length of one surface, and 
when fully matured is purplish black in color. 

KINDS OF WILD RICE. 

Two species of plants are commonly known as wild rice. One of 
them (Zizania aquat'ica L.) has narrow leaves; rather short, compact 
flower clusters averaging about 16 inches in length (Fig. 4) ; and 
stems that seldom exceed 8 feet in height. It also is often distin- 



6 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

guished by purple male and female flowers with leaf markings of 
the same color. The other species (Z. palustris L.) has broad leaves; 
rather long, loose flower clusters, varying in length from 15 to 29 




Fig. 2. — Seeds of wild rice of the broad-leaved species. (Natural size.) 

inches (Fig. 5), and stems that range in height from 7 to 11 feet. 
Purple flowers and leaves are not characteristic of this species, 
though individual plants often are so marked. 

The first species is found mainly in the northern part of the United 
States and in Ontario, Canada ; the second in the eastern and south- 




Fig. 3. — Kernels of wild rice of the broad-lea vod species. (Natural size.) 

em part of the United States. The seeds of the southern species, 
with broad leaves, average 1 inch in length, not including the awn, 
and one-sixteenth of an inch in width. The seed of the other species 
is shorter and broader. 



Wild Rice. 



Extreme variations are found in the narrow-leaved species. In 
eastern Canada mature plants are found that measure only 6 to 10 
inches in height, the tallest averaging about 3 feet. The seed that is 
produced by these plants is small and has a short awn or none at all. 
There also are several forms of the broad-leaved species. 

Some of the differences may be due to soil and climatic conditions, 
but there are forms with structural differences that are not character- 
istic of the two recognized species which are worthy of study. Pos- 
sibly these forms are more productive than those from which our 
supply of seed is now obtained. It is quite likely, 
too, that some of them do not shatter their grain 
upon maturity. Forms possessing this character 
alone without increased production would make 
the growing of wild rice a profitable business for 
many seedsmen. 

GROWING WILD RICE. 

WHERE TO SOW. 

Wild rice grows luxuriantly above brackish 
water on mud flats that are submerged by the 
tides. If any great deposit of silt is thrown 
down at the mouths of creeks flowing into the 
tidal rivers, such places also furnish favorable 
conditions for its growth. Occasionally a good 
stand of wild rice is found on sand bars that are 
submerged by the tide. In shallow bays that are 
connected with the main stream this plant is 
often found growing almost to the exclusion of 
any other species. 

In the northern part of the Mississippi Valley 
and in Canada, away from tidal streams, wild 
rice grows in large, narrow patches on the mar- 
gins of lakes and streams and sometimes covers 
large areas in the shallow lakes of these re- 
gions. 

There are many localities having these con- 
ditions in which wild rice is not found that may 
be used successfully for its propagation. Good 
results are likely to be obtained if the planting 
is made ' where the soil is soft and mucklike or covered with a 
thick layer of mud. The submerging water should be fresh and 
not stagnant, but should not have a noticeable current under normal 
conditions. 




Fig. 4. — A flower cluster 
(botanically called a 
panicle) of wild rice 
which is typical of the 
narrow-leaved species. 
Its natural length is 
16J inches. 



8 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Although wild rice naturally grows upon sand bars and silt de- 
posits at the mouths of creeks, the plant should not be sown upon 
them, for they often are destroyed by strong currents. 

WHEN TO SOW. 

It is a common practice in many localities to sow wild rice in 
autumn soon after the seed has been gathered. This is wasteful and 
expensive, for seed sown at this time is likely to be eaten in large 

quantities by ducks and other birds in 
autumn and early spring, resulting in 
poor stands if any are obtained. If 
not devoured by waterfowl the seed 
may be covered so deeply with the mud 
deposited by spring freshets that after 
germination the greater percentage of 
the young plants die before they can 
reach the surface. 

For these reasons spring seeding is 
recommended. April 15 is the approx- 
imate date for seeding wild rice in the 
vicinity of Washington, D. C. How- 
ever, seeding in this locality as late as 
May 12 has produced plants that 
ripened seed as early as the plants that 
developed from the self-sown or shat- 
tered seed. 

HOW TO SEED. 

Germinable seed is not always ob- 
tainable, because irfany seedsmen do 
not know what should be done with the 
gathered grain to maintain its vital- 
ity and therefore are not properly 
equipped to handle it. The common 
mistake is to store wild-rice seed under 
dry conditions. When kept in dry 
storage, like other seeds, it soon dies. 
More failures in the introduction of wild rice into new localities are 
due to the use of such seed than to any other cause. 

Wild-rice seed should be purchased only from seedsmen who will 
guarantee that the seed has been properly stored and well graded 
and will further agree to ship it under conditions that will protect 
its vitality while in transit. Considering the high price of this seed, 
such a demand is not unreasonable. 




Fig. 5. — A flower cluster (botani- 
cally called a panicle) of wild 
rice which is typical of the broad- 
leaved species. Its natural length 
is 26 inches. 



Wild Rice. 9 

In sowing wild rice it is just as important to use ripe and well- 
graded seed as in sowing cultivated crops. Seed mixed with a large 
percentage of immature seed, which is often found on the market, 
should not be used, as it invariably will produce a poor stand. 

The ripe seed, which is brown in color, when sown will sink into 
the water at once by its own weight. In sowing on tidal land the 
seed should be broadcasted from a rowboat or canoe on a rising tide 
when the water is about a foot deep. This will keep the seed from 
drifting into deeper water, and before the tide ebbs it will be so 
firmly embedded in the soft mud that none of the seed will be moved 
outward by the retreating water. 

A good stand may be obtained if the seed is used promptly after 
removal from cold storage and is evenly scattered at the rate of a 
handful of well-matured seed to 2 square yards of water surface. 
The plants of a thin stand are usually not sufficiently self-supporting 
against winds to develop a strong growth and are also likely to tiller 
and branch entirely too much to mature evenly. This lack of uni- 
formity in ripening is a disadvantage if the seed is to be harvested, 
but if the plants are grown to attract ducks the long period of ripen- 
ing may be a decided advantage in reseeding and maintaining the 
patch. 

When sown for the first time in a new locality, a heavier seeding 
is advisable, to provide for losses which are likely to occur from the 
feeding of wild ducks. 

The shallow lakes and margins of the interior rivers should be 
sown in the same manner. Care should be taken, however, not to 
seed in water more than 2 feet deep. A lesser depth of water is de- 
sirable, because the young plants grow more vigorously in shallow 
water. 

TRANSPLANTING. 

New patches of wild rice may be readily established by transplant- 
ing the young plants. To get good germination, these should be 
grown on a seed bed (Fig. 6) that has been plowed or spaded to a 
depth of approximately 6 inches. The soil should be worked down 
immediately to a rather smooth surface with a harrow or other im- 
plement. The seed bed is then ready to be inclosed by levees or banks 
and submerged with water. Before seeding, the bed should be covered 
with water to a depth of 6 inches. This depth must be maintained 
until the young plants are removed. The seed should be sown broad- 
cast upon the water at the rate of a handful of well-matured seed to 
a square yard of water surface. Viable seed sown at this rate will 
give the thick stand that is needed to get the maximum number of 
plants in a bed. 

The plants may be removed for transplanting when they are 12 to 
15 inches high. They are strong enough at this age to stand a reason- 



10 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

able amount of rough handling, but care should be taken not to bend 
sharply or to crush the plant just above the crown. Under no cir- 
cumstances should they be allowed to become dry. 

The soil into which they are to be set should be deeply prepared, 
so that it will become very soft and muddy and remain so when sub- 
merged. This result is easily obtained on loamy soils ; clay soils are 
not so satisfactory. 

The plants should be set singly about a foot apart in shallow holes 
made by the hand or with a blunt stick. The roots should be spread 
apart and the soil pressed firmly upon them and around the plant at 



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Fig. 6. — A general view of plats used at the Arlington Experimental Farm, Va., for the 
growing of wild rice. Plats of this character are well adapted to the growing of 
seedlings for transplanting. 

the crown. After new roots have developed the plants soon become 
erect, and in a short time new leaves appear. 

At the time of transplanting there should be at least 8 inches of 
water upon the land. This depth of water will provide the conditions 
required by the plants and also serve to support them until they are 
strong enough to stand erect. After this, the water, if controllable, 
should be not less than 6 inches deep. If the land upon which they are 
to be grown is exposed to the rise and fall of the tide, no attempt 
should be made to regulate the depth of the water. 

SEASONAL GROWTH. 

On the mud flats of the Potomac River in the vicinity of Wash- 
ington. D. C, wild rice often germinates as early as the latter part 
of March, but the highest percentage of germination usually occurs 
about the middle of April. The young plant grows slowly. It is 
often 3 weeks old before it is strong enough and sufficiently anchored 



Wild Rice. 



11 



to stand erect. This may be due in part to the effect of the changing 
water level that occurs daily on tidal land, for when grown in shallow 
water kept at a uniform depth the young plant becomes erect within 
10 to 13 days. During its early growth the foliage of the plant floats 
in or upon the surface of the water at high tide. At low tide the 
entire plant lies flat upon the mud. There is a rapid and vigorous 
leaf development (Fig. 7) in the healthy plant after the first month's 
growth. The foliage becomes erect, with drooping tips, and the 
plant often obtains a height of 5 feet before the flower cluster ap- 
pears. 




Frc. 7. — An almost perfect stand of wild rice, about 45 days old, growing in a marsh 
near Washington, D. C. A few plants of pickerel weed are seen near the center of 
the picture. 

Under normal weather conditions the flower clusters (Fig. 8) 
emerge within 80 days after germination. The seeds usually begin 
to ripen about 30 days later. The ripening of the seeds in a single 
flower cluster is seldom completed within a week. The period of 
ripening in any given area of wild rice may extend over three weeks. 

In the vicinity of Washington, D. C, the plants that emerge about 
the middle of April ripen some seed as early as August 15. While 
this period of growth varies with the seasons, there is always ripe 
or ripening seed in abundance in the early part of September. The 
seed does not remain attached very long after maturity and may 
drop from the plant before the kernel becomes hard. 

PROPAGATION. 

Keepers of hunting preserves and superintendents of gun clubs 
should not depend upon the natural reseeding of wild rice for the 
preservation of the patches under their control. The seed produc- 



12 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

tion of this plant under normal conditions usually is large enough to 
supply sufficient food for the game birds and to provide for the next 
year's crop. This remainder may be seriously affected, however, by 
an unusually large invasion of birds, which, of course, means a greater 




Fig. 8. — Typical plants of the broad-leaved species of wild rice in flower at the Arlington 
Experimental Farm, Va., August 14, 1916. 

consumption of seed and possibly the destruction of the natural seed 
bed in those sections where feeding extends throughout the greater 
part of the winter. There is also a possibility of having the young 
growth seriously "damaged by deposits of silt and various kinds of 
debris which are often left by spring freshets. 



Wild Rice. 13 

It is important, therefore, that the seeding or transplanting of 
wild rice should be done on hunting reservations in early May 
whenever there are indications in spring of a poor stand. It is the 
only way to maintain a growth that will furnish food for the birds 
and seed for crop production. Facilities for storing the seed and 
growing the seedlings of wild rice should be a part of the equipment 
of every hunting club that is located where this plant will grow. 

The new patches which are made by transplanting are not likely 
to be large, because of the labor that is required to set out the plants. 
On account of their small size they must be protected, or the greater 
part of the seed produced on them will be consumed by the ducks 
during the first winter. The most effective method would be to 
remove the surface water from the land each year after the seed 
has fallen until the patch has become sufficiently large to supply food 
for these birds without lessening the chances of a good stand for the 
following season. Almost perfect stands of wild rice have been 
obtained on plats at the Arlington Experimental Farm, Va., that 
were kept free of surface water during the winter. 

HOW TO HARVEST. 

The Indians of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Canada, who use the 
seed of wild rice for food, harvest the grain in a very primitive way. 
They go among the plants in birch-bark canoes or small flatboats, 
and from these they gather the seed. The method is simple, though 
patience and skill are required to get maximum results. The stalks 
of the plants are bent over the boat, care being taken not to break 
them, and with light blows from sticks the grain is knocked into the 
boat. The fully matured seeds fall at the slightest touch, and many 
are lost by dropping into the water instead of the boat. Unless the 
plants are roughly handled the green seeds do not drop and may be 
gathered later. On account of the lack of uniformity in ripening, 
the harvest period may extend over several weeks. 

For centuries these Indians have been gathering this food in this 
way. The white man with all his ingenuity resorts to this same 
method and will continue to do so until the plant is brought under 
cultivation. The use of machinery to harvest this crop is desirable 
from the standpoint of saving time and labor, but it is hardly prob- 
able that any mechanical device can be handled skillfully enough to 
gather this seed with less loss than can be done by hand. Growing 
as a wild plant, it will continue to shatter its seed at maturity. This 
habit alone makes it difficult to gather as much as 50 per cent of the 
seed produced. 

The seed should be spread out to dry as soon as it is gathered. In 
doing this, however, it must not be exposed to the sun. Under ordi- 
nary circumstances the seed may be sufficiently dried by turning it 
over several times during the first day after harvest. After it has 
been cleaned with a fan or by other means, the seed should be shipped 



14 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



or stored without any delay if a high percentage of germination is to 
be obtained. 

STORAGE OF SEED. 

The seed of wild rice drops at maturity into the soft mud upon 
which the plant is growing and remains there during the winter with- 
out loss of vitality. Unless the buried seed is eaten by birds or other 
animals or is covered too deeply with mud, a good stand of rice 
invariably follows a season of good production. It has been deter- 
mined by experiments that it is absolutely necessary to keep the seed 
moist and at a low temperature if its vitality is to be preserved. 

Therefore, the safest method is to put the 
seed in cold storage in a wet state or to 
store it outdoors under conditions that 
will keep it wet and at a temperature 
which will prevent fermentation. The 
first method probably will be preferable 
to seedsmen who obtain their seed supply 
from a distance, if cold-storage space can 
be cheaply rented. When this method is 
used the seed should be put in uncovered 
receptacles and placed in a room at the 
temperature of 32° to 34° F. 

The outdoor method, however, can be 
used effectively and cheaply by those who 
are located near the source of the seed 
supply. This method has been success- 
fully used at the Arlington Experimental 
Farm, Va., and provides for storage in 
large receptacles that are securely an- 
chored at the bottom of the stream in 
which the plant grows. If a small quan- 
tity is to be stored, the seed may be put in 
galvanized-iron cans (Fig. 9) such as are used for garbage. The 
cans should be perforated on the side and top, the holes being numer- 
ous enough to provide for water circulation, but small enough to pre- 
vent the escape of the seed. In filling the container the seed should 
not be packed too tightly or fermentation may occur. The can should 
be promptly submerged as soon as it is filled and should be securely 
fastened to the bottom of the stream in a vertical position where it 
will be covered by at least 2 feet of water. It will require no more 
attention until time for seeding in spring. 

For the outdoor storage of a large quantity of seed a covered con- 
crete vat can be more economically used than a number of separate 
containers. It may be built upon a firm foundation at the bottom 
of a stream or constructed in an excavation on low land com^eniently 
located near a stream. If an excavation is made, it must be connected 




Fig. 9. — A galvanized-iron can 
which has been used at the 
Arlington Experimental Farm, 
Va., for the storage of wild- 
rice seed. It was filled and 
securely fastened at the bot- 
tom of the stream on Sep- 
tember 15 and removed on 
May 1. 



Wild Rice. 15 

with a stream by a ditch, in order that water may be obtained for the 
complete and continuous submergence of the vat. Good facilities 
for drainage must be provided. The vat should be low and broad, 
with capped manholes in the top and sufficient screened openings in 
the sides to permit a free circulation of water. 

SHIPPING SEED AND PLANTS. 

In the handling of wild-rice seed from harvest until seeding time 
special care must be taken to protect its vitality. The seed has been 
shipped in a dry state during the first two weeks after harvest with 
very small loss in vitality when packed in dry instead of moist 
sphagnum moss. For late fall, winter, and spring deliveries, how- 
ever, the seed must be transported in the wet state, either in vessels 
containing water or in moist sphagnum moss loosely wrapped. Un- 
less sown at once, the seed should be removed and put in vessels con- 
taining fresh water and placed in cold storage or outdoors where the 
proper moisture and temperature conditions can be maintained. 

If the young plants are to be shipped, they should be spread out 

thinly on layers of moist sphagnum moss, between which they should 

be rolled rather tightly and then wrapped with heavy paper and 

securely tied. The young plants will remain fresh for three to five 

days in packages prepared in this way and may be safely carried by 

parcel post or express for a distance of 1,500 miles. Specimens have 

been transported in this manner from the Arlington Experimental 

Farm, Va., to Crowley, La., with success. The plants should be 

removed from the package as soon as received and transplanted at 

once. 

USES OF WILD RICE. 

Wild rice has two principal uses, namely, as food for birds and 
as food for man. It also has forage value. 

USE AS FOOD FOR BIRDS. 

Wild-rice seed is one of the principal autumn foods of the ducks 
that feed in the extensive marshes of the eastern United States. 
According to the records of the Bureau of Biological Survey, the 
mallard appears to be a large consumer of this grain. Besides this 
species, 11 other wild ducks are known to eat the seed of wild rice. 
They obtain it mainly in shallow water where the matured seeds 
have fallen into the soft mud. Young shoots and germinating 
seeds of wild rice are often eaten by many species of ducks, and the 
wood duck even feeds on the flowers. The stems and leaves of the 
mature plants are eaten by wild geese. 

The wild-rice marshes of the Atlantic Coastal Plain also furnish 
shelter and food to the bobolink, which is called the reedbird when 
it begins its journey southward in late summer. At the beginning of 
the flight toward their winter home these birds congregate in almost 



022 265 352 6 

16 Department Circular 229, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

countless numbers along the watercourses where this aquatic grass 
grows. Here they feed upon the ripening as well as the mature 
seed of the wild-rice plant. The sora, or Carolina rail, is another 
marsh-loving bird which feeds at low tide upon the fruit of this 
plant, eating the fallen seeds that lie upon the mud or partly 
buried in it. 

USE AS FOOD FOR MAN. 

The Indians of the upper Mississippi Valley were using the seed 
of wild rice for food when that region was first explored by Euro- 
peans. Among certain tribes it is one of the principal articles of diet 
to this day. The earlier settlers, traders, and hunters recognized the 
food value of this seed and ate it, especially on their hunting and 
fishing expeditions. The grain is considered by many a great 
delicacy and is frequently served in the best hotels and restaurants 
with game. It is nutritious and very palatable and probably would 
be more generally used if its food qualities were better known. 
The grain after being parched is used by the Indians in soups or 
stews. It makes a very attractive dish when boiled and served as 
a vegetable with meat. It could readily take the place of potatoes 
and cultivated rice in our dietary. The quantity of grain that is 
available for the general trade, however, is never large, because the 
Indians who gather it sell only what they do not need for their own 
use. This surplus always is small and in consequence the price is 
high, which does not contribute to its popularity. 

POSSIBLE FORAGE VALUE. 

Besides producing a good grain, the wild-rice plant also fur- 
nishes an excellent feed. However, it is not a forage grass in the 
ordinary meaning of the term, but the young plant is quite succu- 
lent and is very much liked by stock. When it is accessible, as it 
is on the tidal lands at low tide, this grass often is cut before the 
flowering stems appear and is then fed to cows and horses. In 
composition it compares favorably with many grasses that are 
used in the same way, but of course can not compete with other wild 
species that require less water for their growth. Under certain low- 
land conditions where drainage can be controlled, it may be used as 
a supplemental forage crop. 

ORNAMENTAL VALUE. 

The natural beauty of the broad-leaved species of this wild plant 
should appeal to the landscape gardener. During its vegetative 
growth, and particularly while in flower, wild rice offers possibilities 
for effective decoration wherever water is used in ponds and small 
lakes to beautify public parks. Other ornamental uses are likely to 
be found for it by the resourceful gardener. 

o 



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